Shortly after Fred leaves home his father calls Hortense over to listen while he reads aloud his son's bravery commendation. She listens patiently then as her husband is struck with emotion she wanders back to her chores, without touching him or uttering a word of any kind. I don't know what to make of her [lack of] reaction but it always seems unnatural to me.
By the way, I think Roman Bohnen's performance in this scene, and elsewhere in the movie, is absolutely superb.
It looked to me like she was tearing up as he read the citation and then she gave him some space in the emotional scene. Her reaction didn't seem unnatural at all to me given the circumstances. Fred's family situation is clearly the most complicated of the returning vets. Dad is a down and out alcoholic and hard to say how Hortense fits into the situation- is she a wife/step-mother or are they cohabiting? She probably feels unsure of her role with Fred and his dad. At any rate Gladys George and Bohnen as with all the supporting characters were exceptional.
shareWhether or not they're married, they're evidently companions of some kind, and close enough that he would tell her to come listen to the commendation that he's just stumbled on. Even a simple gesture of some kind, like her hand on his shoulder for a moment, would have made sense to me, but if they're not as close as I imagine them to be, then at least a word or two of approbation. Her previous demeanor doesn't seem to suggest any want of assurance regarding her role in the household — quite the opposite. Her muted reaction strikes me as strange every time I watch the movie but I guess we all see these things in different ways.
sharePat was tearing up. Since it was "unmanly" to cry, Hortense gave Pat the space to cry unobserved. That also gave her the chance to cry without embarrassing Pat.
shareHer character is listed in the credits as "Hortense Derry.". That, and the fact that Fred calls her "Hortense" when he calls his father "Pop," should be proof enough that she's Fred's stepmother.
shareI totally agree with your take on Roman Bohnen's wonderful performance.
But I think you really missed the amazing job that Galdys George did without saying a word. She was right there with Pat Derry as he read of his son's heroism and as her eyes well up so she too is quite full of emotion inside, enough so that she has to choke them back and leave the room to control herself. She reminded me of my Grandmother who would have responded to an emotional moment in much the same way. Full of quiet emotion and unable to say anything in the moment. So Grandma would choke back the tears and get back to work. Hortense, imho is the one in the relationship who is a survivor, she tries to keep her head down and keep going. She's upbeat and tries to look at the bright side. A woman of few words and deep feeling, but when she spoke, she did have something to say that was always worth listening to.
I think the big thing about Pat and Hortense is their wonderful silent communication. It's also very apparent in all their scenes together that Hortense is very aware of what Pat is feeling. She looks at him with love as in the scene where Fred leaves and gives him his space, another reason for her leaving the room perhaps.
But hey, everyone has their own opinions and we like what we like.
Clearly Hortense is Fred's step mother since he never calls her mom or mother.
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